Transcontinental memories of ’so many fun’ mark the end
Editor’s note: This is Furman Bisher’s final column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Read more:
–Past columns. His last one is below. Read his first one including his moving tribute to his late son and several others.
–Photos of his career. Even one where he’s playing football.
–Video: Bisher reflects on his very first column for the paper
It was April 15, income tax day, in 1950 that this all began. Usually, such a run as this rarely ever carries on this long. Perhaps my act has worn thin. Perhaps I have over-stayed my time. But to an old warrior such as I, it isn’t easy finding an appropriate ending place.
My mind wanders back to the Falcons’ first flirtation with glory. They led the Dallas Cowboys into the shadows of a Sunday afternoon in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, 60,222 fans in a state of exhilaration, a division championship a breath away when the defense broke down. It was over and a city was left heartbroken.
It had been such a colossal event that even Red Smith, the scholarly columnist of the New York Times, had flown in to write of it. After the game, I gave him a lift back to his hotel, and as he collected his tools of trade, and opened the car door, he put a hand on my shoulder and said: “One more day in a cold, dreary press box — God, I love it.”
That said it for a lot of us.
Many a time that memory flashes across my mind, though the number of Sundays has dwindled down, as has the number of columns. Once I wrote six columns a week. I thought I was supposed to. Then five, then four, then three, then down to one. That means I have one day in seven in which to write something that stirs the blood, or something that misses the plate. A stinker. I don’t know that there is a graceful way to take leave. It doesn’t require a lot of space, I know that. (Cheers from the layout editor.)
I do know, as well, that it tugs at the heart. Ye gods, how many of these have I written? So many that many of the keys on this old Royal typing machine are worn thin. (And this column was first given a test run on the machine on which I wrote my first column in 1950.)
How many continents has it been, how many nations, how many flights, how many airports, how many sagging beds in bawdy rooming houses, and how many languages, with or without translation? Oh, and yes, and how many fellow travelers, wonderful friends on all those continents, and on the streets in this town and in my own land?
Then the Olympics, winter and summer, arousing memory of the most excruciating trip of them all, following the Winter Games in France. Catching a train in Notre Dame de Briancon to Chambery, to Geneva, to Frankfurt, to Atlanta, thence to Richmond, then Charlottesville to preside at a dinner. So much for that. I wouldn’t mind doing it again, but my body would disagree.
The Italian heavyweight of some six decades ago, Primo Carnera, known to some as “The Ambling Alp,” returned to the United States for some personal appearances long after he held the title — whose legitimacy was strongly questioned. Nevertheless, he had been the champ. He was a source of much interviewing, of course, during which he was asked what he remembered most pleasantly of his fighting days in this country. “Oh, much good time,” he said, in his fractured English, “so many fun.”
That says it for me in any language. “So many fun.”
Perhaps we shall see each other again at Thanksgiving, or the Masters, but I take my leave today with deep regret. Selah.
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444 comments Add your comment
Bob
October 11th, 2009
4:29 pm
Good Bye to a great one. Yeah You and Jesse were special. Good luck and best wishes.
Johnny
October 11th, 2009
5:29 pm
Mr. Bisher,
Your writing reveals the heart and soul of a true Southern gentleman. You set the standard against which I compare other sports columnists. Your ability to paint a picture with words makes me feel like I was present at whatever event you are describing. I moved away as a young adult, and lost touch with your writing. When I returned to Atlanta, your column was one of the many welcomes waiting for me. Your Thanksgiving column was an annual tradition for me. I am thankful for having the opportunity to share your thanks, and for your willingness to share it. I would be thankful to see another one in about a month.
God bless and Selah.
Rana Cash
October 11th, 2009
5:33 pm
Furman,
Thank you for being gracious and kind from the first day I met you. I remember sitting in the press room at Augusta National, listening to Edwin Pope tell me stories about the early days of covering The Masters, and of course he had funny stories about you as well. I was privileged to be able to sit next to you there, first when at The Miami Herald and later here at the AJC. Your career has spanned some much sports history. I’ve always enjoyed reading your work, and will miss doing so. Thanks for your insight, voice and perspective. And thank God for your talent. You’ll be missed.
JEB
October 11th, 2009
5:35 pm
All of the constant voices in Atlanta sports are changing!
In the last year we have lost Skip, then Pete retired, Munson retired.
Now Furman Bisher – sad times! But, a lot of GREAT memories!!
Thanks for the memories FB! Enjoy your retirement – you earned it!
C Spalding
October 11th, 2009
6:00 pm
Enter your comments here
Greg
October 11th, 2009
6:01 pm
Mr.Bisher,
I have been reading your columns for over 30 years, since i was a pre-teen and my dad instilled in me the importance of reading the paper daily. In high school, I coveted an “I Beat Bisher” t-shirt from your college picks, but I was never able to earn one. Your Thanksgiving columns have always been one of my favorite parts of that particular holiday. Today, I want to express to you just how thankful i have been to be able to read your work regularly. All too often we are only able to express our gratitude to someone postimustly (as you so elequenly expressed after the untimely passing of Skip Carey). I am greatful that you will get to read and hear just how much you have meant to so many people and how you have inspired us to love and appreciate sports and life. Thank you! God Bless you in your retirement. You are loved and you will be missed.
C Spalding
October 11th, 2009
6:09 pm
You might remember me as the callow boy who visited 41 Forsyth Street, the son of the Editor of the Journal at the time. You have always had the edge and produced a great column, be it 6, 5, 4, 3, times or just once a week. I consider you the last of the writers of my father’s generation, and we are diminished by your absence in print and that of your contemporaries. And, if you composed like Daddy, the “x” key is as thin as bees’ wings! Thank you for wonderful insight over the years and best of everything in your retirement. God bless you.
Robert
October 11th, 2009
6:10 pm
Hi Mr. Bisher:
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful articles, you will be missed by a large number of Atlantans. Our world is changing rapidly everyday and your column helped to maintain some sense of place, that will sorely missed. You insight and thoughtful reporting will also be missed.
Again, a very hearty thank you for all of your work … going well beyond the articles published in the AJC. PJ
Coastal Cavalier
October 11th, 2009
6:24 pm
So long and farewell.. I wish you the best but Monday after the Masters will never be the same…
D.Rom
October 11th, 2009
6:26 pm
Mr. Bisher:
Your column signifies the end of an era. As a Tech student in the 60’s and 70’s, I read your columns (along with Jesse’s) regularly. They reminded a homesick kid of the great sports coverage he got from Bob Addie and Shirley Povich back home in DC. The planet has made a few spins since my days in Atlanta, and there is a new breed of reporters. You’ve set a high standard. Enjoy your retirement and, if you get the urge, pen another column for the AJC. It will be appreciated.
Uga'91
October 11th, 2009
7:33 pm
Hate to break up the love fest but this day is about 25 years to late. He was out of touch and exaggerated and/or flat out lied on several columns in the last few years. He was a relic of a bygone era and in the end he outlived his usefulness to the paper.
Go Jackets!!
October 11th, 2009
8:06 pm
Thank you, Sir, for all the great times you’ve so well put in writing. You’ll be greatly missed!
You’ve work has made a very positive impact on my life!
DoninAcworth
October 11th, 2009
8:26 pm
Say it ain’t so Furman!
When I came to Atlanta in 1968 I found two papers: the morning Constitution and the afternoon Journal, or was it the other way around? Anyway, I latched on to the ONE sports writer, Furman
Bisher and I’ve been one of his bigest fans since. What I shall do I don’t know. This I do know, there is going to be a mighty big hole where Bish stood!
T
October 11th, 2009
8:37 pm
This is truly a sad day for me. Thank you Mr. Bisher. You are absolutely the best your profession has to offer… you are the best that men has to offer. God Bless
buckheadboy
October 11th, 2009
8:59 pm
Your words and style of writing inspired my passion for newspapers and journalism, Mr. Bisher. You were the best in an era of exceptional columnists and daily newspapers. As an old City League alumni (Bass High School, class of ‘67), I wish you the best and thank you sincerely for all the entertaining and thought-providing columns (especially those “I’m thankful for…” each Thanksgiving Day and the “This and that…” throughout the year. Yours is a voice we are unlikely to hear again in such clarity and with such wit. I mourn for the Atlanta that is no more but appreciate the memories you gave us. Selah.
shortcircuit
October 11th, 2009
9:02 pm
It will not be the same without a Bisher column. My all time favorites were the “I’m Thankful” ones. Good luck and I hope to meet you sometime. What in the world will you do?
Charles
October 11th, 2009
9:23 pm
Sir,
I have fond memories of riding in the car to Savannah from Atlanta at Thanksgiving, as a youngster, to visit my Grandparents, with my Dad reading your Thanksgiving column to us along the way. We have always had a lot to be thankful for. We still do. I hope you will still share some Thanksgiving thanks with us again this year and as long as you are able. You have outlasted many of the best things about the AJC. I wish you all the best, sir.
Wilson Bush
October 11th, 2009
9:39 pm
Sadly and era has ended. I’ve read your column since I was a teenager and I am now 24 years your junior. I always look forward to reading you and Jesse Outlar. You will be greatly missed. Best wishes on your “retirement”. Damned if you haven’t earned it!
KZGuy
October 11th, 2009
9:43 pm
What happened Furman? You did not not mention the ‘great article’ you wrote about Bear Bryant and Coach Butts fixing a game did you? I forgot how much did that ‘great article’ cost you in damages. The AJC should have fired you 40 years ago.
Merrill Bagwell
October 11th, 2009
9:44 pm
Well, Mr. Bisher, I’m one day older and yet another someone-important departs for other pastures. Thanks so much for your ability to capture moments along with their feelings. I especially enjoy your columns about my adopted Alma-Mater, Georgia Tech and Coach Bobby Dodd. College sports were so much simpler then. I miss that. I can now, either with my attendance, or via one of several hundred TV channels, watch every Georgia Tech football game. That, of course, was not always so. Men like yourself, Jesse Outlar, and that old UGA coach whose name my white and gold-tinted mind cannot recall, used to keep me informed of the Jackets and the Dawgs (when they were still Dogs). I am grateful for that. I never met Coach Dodd, but your recollections of the Geogia Tech coach made him a close friend. I always felt you sort of felt sorry for Tech, and for that I’m also thankful. Thanks again, Mr. Bisher. May God bless you!
Harvey Copeland
October 11th, 2009
9:52 pm
I remember my dad coming home after a Memphis Chicks and Atlanta Cracker game at Ponce De leon saying his friend Earl Mann introduced him to a new “beat” writer for Atlanta Journal Furman Bisher and what a nice person he seem to be.
Well, I have read about everything you have wrote last 59 years AND ITS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE. ATLANTA WAS LUCKY AND FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE COUNTRY BOY FROM NORTH CAROLINA TO MAKE ITS LEGENDARY MARK WITH US. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Jim Harper
October 11th, 2009
9:56 pm
So… “Turning The Page” chose not to name his/her self. Not surprising. I hope she/he gets a columnist to suit their fancy. Mr. (Dr.) Bisher, I salute you, your experiences, and your eloquent prose. Your columns will be missed. God speed!
Cocoa Beach Jacket
October 11th, 2009
10:03 pm
I am going to miss your columns Mr. Bisher. I came to Atlanta in ‘49 at Crawford Long Hospital and have enjoyed your columns for many years. Thanks for all you did! Happy Retirement.
Chris
October 11th, 2009
10:06 pm
To steal a phrase commonly left for Olympic athletes or World Cup soccer players, Mr. Bisher, you’ve been “World class.” Your void is one that won’t be filled. Thanks for the memories.
jojatek
October 11th, 2009
10:13 pm
A very sad and bittersweet moment for all of us, Mr. Bisher. I moved to Atlanta in 1974 as a grade-schooler, left in 1980 for Virginia, and returned “home” 3 years later to attend Georgia Tech. I have a family of my own now and, for 30+ years, have tried never to miss a column. In my humble opinion, your ability to reach beyond the “moment” and recognize even the smallest athletic achievement in the larger context of history have always set your work apart. In an era of blogging, tweeting, texting, and Google, your thoughtful insight and learned perspective will be sorely missed…
All the best to you, sir… and thank you for so many great years and fond memories…
Ken Elkins
October 11th, 2009
10:21 pm
Furman,
I first began reading your column sometime around 1956 when I was a high school football player at Emma Sansom High in Gadsden, Alabama. My friends plus my older brother and I would frequently visit our local news stand located on Wall Street in Alabama City and peruse all the sports magazines and out-of-town newspapers including the Atlanta paper. We would buy and share them; reading them until they were literally worn out.
After graduating from Auburn and moving to Atlanta, I became and remain a life long time subscriber to the AJC, and have enjoyed reading your column often. Your columns revealed so much more about your subjects than athletic skills. You brought them to life for us your readers as our fellow man or woman and gave us at least a glimpse into their personal experiences. These revelations were sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, and almost always revealed something about their serious side.
Know that your writings did far more than entertain. You are one of the true giants of sports journalism.
Your unique sign-off “Selah” always provided a reminding inspiration.
Many regards and thank you!
UGA V
October 11th, 2009
10:31 pm
Don’t let the door hit you in the arse.
Critter
October 11th, 2009
10:51 pm
It was 1959 when I moved to Atlanta fresh out of the USAF. It was the Atlanta Journal in the afternoon and Atlanta Constitution in the AM. I read many of your Columns and enjoyed them bove all others.
Some how I don’t think we will be wondering ‘For what it’s worth.. whatever happened to Furman Bisher’ any time soon.
sean
October 11th, 2009
11:01 pm
Mr.Bisher,
I would like to thank you for ALL the years I have enjoyed your and Jesse Outlars column, two of the icons. I was born in 1950 ( May ) into a GT family, and always will remember the banter between the two of you. I went to Marist, and grew up feeling I knew you both. A very sad day when his house burned and your column made me cry. I will forever miss your ” I Am Thankfull For ” column every year. The Ashforg Park Neighborhood was so saddened at the loss of your son, we all cried and cried. God Bless You.
Macon Admirer
October 11th, 2009
11:12 pm
Furman Bisher, a true Southern Gentlemen
Rick
October 11th, 2009
11:13 pm
Goodbye to the old Georgia boy.A true Southerner with much dignity and credibility and talent.
I remember that Falcon game too. My worst sports memory ever. That team ws magical and special in a special era. I was 19 and cried.
I will miss you old man. Just like I miss Lewis.
I’m getting a little older too.
Take care of yourself.
M39Buzz
October 11th, 2009
11:21 pm
To Mr. Furman Bisher – True Gentleman, True Scholar, Friend of Dodd:
Dear Sir,
Your excellence in journalism and your mastery of pen and language will, henceforth, be sorely missed. Thank you for so many wonderful years.
Good bye, Go Jackets and God Bless!
Matt Fincher
October 12th, 2009
12:03 am
Thanks, Furman, for many enjoyable years of reading. May God bless you in your retirement. We’ll miss your column.
John
October 12th, 2009
12:16 am
Furman,
I am 72 years old, and some of my best memories of sports are recollections of your eloquent and informative columns. I will miss your writing. You will never be replaced.
Buzzfan
October 12th, 2009
12:29 am
Uga’91, UGA V, and Turning the Page are [1] obviously no fans of yours, and [2] idiots. Fortunately, they are in a distinct and classless minority, You are a legend and will be sorely missed, Godspeed.
gcs
October 12th, 2009
1:26 am
Good luck Mr. Bisher. I hope to continue to see your annual Thanksgiving columns.
David
October 12th, 2009
2:11 am
I still remember the incredibly ignorant, hateful comments you wrote Japan last year that were spread across the internet. Don’t think they’ll go unremembered.
Walter
October 12th, 2009
2:30 am
Mr. Bisher,
I was brought up to cherish every word you write. My father Donald Ewalt and my late grandpa Walter Ewalt always spoke very highly of you. You knew my grandpa who was a dear friend of Dodd and head of the physics department at Georgia Tech for almost 40 years. I’m sure you might not remember them but your paths have been crossed multiple times. Though at the young age of 20 our paths have been crossed too. I have frequently come to Tech practices, scrimmages and games. You have also crossed paths with my brother who has choosen the same field as yours and now is the editor of a small metro sports newspaper (Score). I just thought I would post how close you have been in contact with the Ewalt family. It’s a sad day to see your faithful words will no longer be issued to your followers, as I was one. My sundays will no longer be the same but I will remember the ones of old. Thank you for being nothing but who you are and saying only what is on your mind.
Goodbye Mr. Bisher
ben
October 12th, 2009
3:23 am
As a kid growing up in Andalusia, Alabama during the 60’s, you provided a beacon of light for the only Georgia Tech fan in town. We had to walk down to the drug store to by a copy of the Atlanta Journal (usually yesterday’s copy). I would buy a chocolate malt for 37 cents and rip open the paper to your column. Thank God you were never tarnished by the blogosphere and the online media. Long may you run.
SickandTired
October 12th, 2009
5:19 am
Mr. Bisher,
Thank you for burning memories into this 58 year old mind of mine. Reading your columns over the years painted the picture better than any television reporter could. Your gentlemanly manner the few times I met you make me proud to have gone through my life in a much civil era than we now have. Your style of writing is easy to read and makes one picture in their mind the story. Thank you again.
Selah
Bill Lampton, Ph.D.
October 12th, 2009
6:40 am
To borrow the words of Bob Hope, “Thanks for the memories”! And thanks for being a class act guy. You and I have exchanged e-mails and phone conversations, and in every instance you were a first-rate gentleman. You enriched our understanding of sports and our lives.
Bill Mack
October 12th, 2009
7:13 am
Mr. Bisher.
Three little words say it all about your career at AJC:
SIMPLY THE BEST!!
And now, please remember…Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.
Selah
Tami
October 12th, 2009
7:36 am
It’s truly an end of an era. We all wish you well in retirement, Mr. Bisher.
Required Reading | Hard Knox Sports
October 12th, 2009
8:08 am
[...] Furman Bisher’s last AJC column. The man’s all class. [AJC] [...]
tchance
October 12th, 2009
8:08 am
God Bless!! You are a gentleman and a living legend. Your style should be the benchmark for all sportwriters, those that do it now as well as the up and comers. All the best, you will be missed sir!!!
Phil
October 12th, 2009
8:19 am
Happy Retirement FB! The AJC won’t be the same without your column. You will be missed.
John
October 12th, 2009
8:25 am
As an Atlanta boy who grew up in the fifties and sixties reading your column, all I can say is “You were the best.” God bless a deserved retirement. I am sure Jesse Outlar and Ed Danforth are looking down!
bill
October 12th, 2009
8:29 am
My Dad introduced me to your columns in the 50’s and I haven’t missed many in the years since. You are loved by so many…doesn’t get any better than that.
Thank you, Furman.
Joe Benton
October 12th, 2009
8:31 am
I worked with Bisher…I worked with the best. All those bumper stickers are wrong…you NEVER “Beat Bisher”. If you’ve ever truly encountered him,his tough shell, his soft under-belly, you’re left with awe, respect and admiration…and a memory that will last a lifetime.
JoeFann
October 12th, 2009
8:33 am
Mr. Bisher:
Fair winds, my friend. Through these many years, your’s is the column I always read. Writers come and go, but wordsmiths live forever! You have been a stalwart companion, traveling where I never could, but fetching me along with you. To say you will be missed is not the half. I hope you will grace us again on Thanksgivings, as your column has been one I’ve been thankful for. Selah, old friend.